5 week society heating and housing

[redhead0609]

Hi,
These are my first finches. I got them after they were pushed from the nest and abandoned by their parents when they were about 2-3 weeks from a work aviary. I have been hand-feeding them for 2.5 weeks now. They appear to be thriving.

My questions are:
1) I still have a lamp in the cage with them, when is it okay to remove the light? Also what temperature should they be in if they are 4-5 weeks?

2) I have them housed in my old cockatiel cage with finch-appropriate perches. They seem to prefer sitting in the dishes when they sleep, but refuse to sleep in the toweled-bowl at the bottom of the cage. Would one of those hanging nests be better for them? Or something else I haven't thought of?

Any other advise would be appreciated as well!

Thank you!

[Sally]

If they are fully feathered, they can tolerate room temperatures now, as long as they aren't too cold. Societies love to sleep in nests, so you could give them one of those large wicker hooded nests, but as they mature, you will have to separate them by sex, or you will have little inbred babies. What is the bar spacing on the old cockatiel cage? If it is greater than 1/2", then these babies will be able to slip through the bars and escape.

[finchmix22]

I'd give them hanging nests, as Sally mentioned, they love the hooded wicker nests. You may need to get a flight cage, with 1/4 inch bar spacing, so they can't get stuck in the bars or escape.

[MiaCarter]

Great advice, as always, from Sally and Deborah.

In terms of eliminating the heat lamp, I'd watch to ensure that nobody is using it.
Some little ones who are handfed develop a fair bit slower than their parent fed siblings and stressors like moving to a new cage or even the weaning process can bring about stress for some. Juveniles are fragile and don't have the reserves of an adult, so I prefer to provide the heat for them so it's there in case they need it. It just helps minimize the effects of any stressors.
My general rule with heat lamps is that I'll eliminate it once I haven't seen it used for 7-10 days.

[redhead0609]

Thank you so much for your advice! I will let you know Darcy and Bingley's progress.

[Hilary]

Love the names! That's one of my favorite books.